Solid
- Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Red, Cream, Black tortie, Blue tortie, Chocolate tortie, Lilac tortie, White
17 breeders are on record here.
Medium to large, cobby cat with Persian features but short, plush coat. Known as the 'lazy man's Persian' for easier grooming needs.
Developed in the 1950s-60s by crossing Persians with American Shorthairs to create a short-coated version of the Persian. Has the Persian's sweet face but with easier coat maintenance.
Generally described as affectionate, sweet, loyal, quiet, peaceful, gentle and calm.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
The Exotic Shorthair was developed from the Persian — essentially a Persian in a short, dense coat — so the two share almost identical body structures, temperaments, and health profiles, including the same flat-faced (brachycephalic) breathing concerns and polycystic kidney disease. The fundamental difference is fur texture and grooming; the health risks below apply to both.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD1). An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Exotic Shorthair standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short, dense, plush and soft in texture.
Stands out from the body due to the thick undercoat.
Shortened from FIFe standard EXO — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2024. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
A tick means FIFe recognises that colour in at least one variety with that pattern. It does not mean every combination is recognised.
| Colour | Solid | Tabby | Smoke | Silver | Golden | Pointed | With white |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Red | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cream | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Black tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| White | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Read from the table at the end of the FIFe standard. Smoke, silver, golden and corin are FIFe’s own names; the exact EMS codes and the eye colours are in the standard.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Exotic Shorthair breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Exotic Shorthair in general; any individual animal can differ.
An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys from early in life, usually progressing to renal failure in mid-to-later adulthood. Exotic Shorthair carries the same PKD1 mutation as the Persian through shared ancestry — UC Davis notes the historic carrier rate in Persian-type cats was over a third before screening became routine. In a Japanese screen of kittens born in 2019–2022, 136 of 2,381 Exotic Shorthairs carried it, about one in eighteen, while a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found it in 1 of 68.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test on both parents
An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys from early in life, usually progressing to renal failure in mid-to-later adulthood. Exotic Shorthair carries the same PKD1 mutation as the Persian through shared ancestry — UC Davis notes the historic carrier rate in Persian-type cats was over a third before screening became routine. In a Japanese screen of kittens born in 2019–2022, 136 of 2,381 Exotic Shorthairs carried it, about one in eighteen, while a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found it in 1 of 68.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
A thickening of the heart muscle that can cause sudden cardiac death; Cornell's Feline Health Center lists Persian among the breeds in which HCM is more prevalent than in the general cat population. No specific causal DNA mutation has been established for Persian-type HCM, unlike the discrete mutations known in Maine Coon and Ragdoll, so a clear DNA test cannot rule it out.
What to ask for
Cardiologist echocardiogram of both parents (no validated breed-specific DNA marker exists)
The flattened Persian-type face narrows the nasal passages and airway (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which can cause severe breathing difficulty), and shortens the tear ducts and deforms the eyelids, leading to chronic eye discharge and corneal exposure, plus dental crowding from the shortened jaw. Severity scales directly with how extreme the flattening is bred, and it cannot be removed while keeping the flat face itself.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists — assess the parents' own breathing and facial conformation in person, or ask for a vet's airway assessment
A thickening of the heart muscle that can cause sudden cardiac death; Cornell's Feline Health Center lists Persian among the breeds in which HCM is more prevalent than in the general cat population. No specific causal DNA mutation has been established for Persian-type HCM, unlike the discrete mutations known in Maine Coon and Ragdoll, so a clear DNA test cannot rule it out.
What to ask for
Cardiologist echocardiogram of both parents (no validated breed-specific DNA marker exists)
The flattened Persian-type face narrows the nasal passages and airway (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which can cause severe breathing difficulty), and shortens the tear ducts and deforms the eyelids, leading to chronic eye discharge and corneal exposure, plus dental crowding from the shortened jaw. Severity scales directly with how extreme the flattening is bred, and it cannot be removed while keeping the flat face itself.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists — assess the parents' own breathing and facial conformation in person, or ask for a vet's airway assessment